The disclosure relates to a power conversion apparatus including switching elements turned on and off by gate drive circuits, and to a vehicle including the power conversion apparatus.
A power conversion apparatus includes pairs of switching elements, and each pair of switching elements are connected in series and inserted between a positive-side direct-current (DC) bus and a negative-side DC bus. An output node is connected between each pair of switching elements connected in series.
In the power conversion apparatus, switching elements may be fixed in an on state. This is called a short-circuit malfunction (a fixed “on” state). When both of a switching element between the positive-side DC bus and the output node (hereinafter referred to as a “positive-side switching element”) and a switching element between the negative-side DC bus and the output node (hereinafter referred to as a “negative-side switching element”) have a short-circuit malfunction, and when one of the positive-side switching element and the negative-side switching element is turned “ON” while the other has a short-circuit malfunction, a short circuit occurs between the DC buses.
In view of this, disclosed is a technique to reduce unfavorable influences such as breakage of various devices connected to the power conversion apparatus when the switching elements have a short-circuit malfunction to cause a short circuit between the DC buses (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-98790).